Richard Westbrook received that at Spa on Sunday after clinching the 2007 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup title with the German HISAQ Competition squad, successfully defending the crown he won last year for the Dutch Morellato Racing Team. And Westbrook certainly ‘kept on fighting til the end’. And he also had ‘no time for losers’, after a controversial last-corner clash with his main championship rival.

 

Needing only a fifth place to become champion, even if closest rival Damien Faulkner won the race, Westbrook identified qualifying as the crucial stage of the weekend. He did a good job to claim a spot on the front row, narrowly pipped by Dutchman Jeroen Bleekemolen. “That teed everything up for me,” said Richard. “Qualifying was either going to give us a breathing space or a mountain to climb. I had a good car and felt I should have got pole, but maybe I was a little bit tense and made a little mistake. Still, I knew from the front row I could get on with it - I knew exactly what I had to do.”

 

Despite a good start, Westbrook lost a place at the start to multiple Supercup champion Patrick Huisman’s rocket getaway. The 32-year-old Londoner then settled into third place behind Huisman and Bleekemolen.

 

“My car was excellent handling-wise, but I’d flat-spotted a tyre on the first lap - maybe from a few nerves. Then I was really worried that the right-front would blow.

 

“I was stuck in third, behind Jeroen, but I wasn’t prepared to make a risky move to pass him and I think he knew that as well. Then his tyres started to go badly off and that brought Faulkner onto my tail with about four laps to go.

 

“I just concentrated on getting good corner exits to give him no chance to get past me, and everything looked good. Without being too fussy, I really wanted to celebrate winning the championship on the podium. But then Damien tried a stupid, petulant move on me at the chicane on the last lap and T-boned me. It took the shine off his performance this season - he didn’t need to do that. Luckily I didn’t stall the engine and I managed to finish in sixth, and, with Damien third, that gave me enough points for the title.”

 

That gave Westbrook the title by six points from Faulkner, who was heavily fined by the officials for his last-corner manoeuvre.

 

“It’s such a relief,” said Richard. My nerves can’t take much more! I really want to dedicate this to HISAQ Competition. To win the championship with a new team is great - people don’t understand the enormity of doing that in the Supercup, against such seasoned teams in such a competitive championship. I’m so proud to be part of this team. OK, I didn’t get a podium, which is annoying, but who cares? I’m champion!”

 

There could be another blast of Queen for Westbrook in a month’s time. His next task is to overhaul the seven-point deficit to Uwe Alzen in the remaining two rounds of the Carrera Cup Deutschland, at Barcelona and Hockenheim.

 

Qualified 2nd; finished 6th (5th of Supercup-registered drivers)  
Wins the championship for a second year

 

Top quality photographs available from http://www.sutton-images.com/richardwestbrook/